Dan's approach
DAN'S APPROACH
I'm very mindful that these sort of scripts (which try to summarise who we are in a few paragraphs) have a tendency to come across as self-obsessed and arrogant – a look at our own ego is an important part of the journey after all, but I hope that it gives you a sense of who I am. When you trust your body and personal experience of yoga or massage to another person, I think it helps to understand who your instructor or therapist is.
Journey to yoga…
Yoga (and any physical activity I saw as a discipline or exercise) did not make sense to me initially and although I had practised yoga for many years, it had been sporadic and I had struggled to identify its place in my life or to fully engage with it – it merely felt like something I should
be doing…something I ought
to like…
As is often the case, the discovery of my love for spiritual ventures and my decision to implement life changes came during retreats. Sometimes a retreat can give us the distance and space we need from our 'normal life' and give us the chance to reflect and learn. A holistic retreat in Greece in 2008 opened the path to group therapy, song and body movement. An ashram in India in 2010 sparked a love of yoga and a deeper interest in massage and Ayurvedic treatments. It was at a yoga retreat in Spain in 2017 that I finally made the decision to move from yoga practitioner to teacher.
Now yoga combines my love of teaching and learning with the more spiritual aspects that interest me. It satisfies a drive to explore the impact that the physical and spiritual acts can have on so much more than the body and mind, and offers an ever-deepening understanding of the bodies we try to inhabit. I know that the yoga teacher you see now may well be different to the one who has yet to be discovered. It’s an exciting journey, not without its challenges, but one that I’m looking forward to taking.
Approaches to teaching:
In a classroom with language learners or an educational setting with adults my approach is very different – it often requires high energy, plenty of verbal communication to convey enthusiasm, humour – and sometimes a fair number of classroom or behaviour management strategies! As a therapist or instructor, I had to re-learn, to discover an authentic me in a different setting. However, teaching (regardless of subject matter) has some common features; a belief in the exchange, an understanding of the journey we want to take together, a realisation that the person at the front is only a guide to facilitate a journey in the best way possible.
In my classes I aim to cultivate an environment which is free from judgement (of ourselves and others), safe and comfortable, and where we can find space. Within that space is where the magic happens and we can begin to observe our bodies, our thoughts, our limits. This is a place for you to be your Self… and the first step is getting to know your Self and then the hard work begins.
Class expectations:
Each class will provide opportunities to increase our awareness of our bodies and of dynamic movement or static postures, so that we can leave with a greater understanding of the elements which we can develop further or bring into our everyday lives.
There will be time to concentrate on breathing and pranayama (extension of the breath or life force) and relaxation at the end. We will develop our flexibility, balance and strength through the āsana (postures). It is through the experience of āsana and movement that our bodies can be given back the space they need, to find the full motion that they were intended to enjoy – whatever is within the limits we feel on that given day or time of life. We
decide whether we can reach those limits, stay safely within them or safely observe what we might experience if we play with those limits, just a little…
In these classes there are no prizes for standing on one toe with your eyes closed, for getting your ankles behind your ears or doing the splits, for holding a plank pose for ten minutes, nor for channeling the Buddha whilst in a meditative state. We were all born with different bodies, we have different ages and life experiences, and we experience stress and strain in different ways. Every one of us will bring something different to our mats each session, a different energy, mood, ache or pain. Here you are who you are, you have what you have, and we observe this and work with it.
Whether the practice be meditation, massage, yoga, 5-rhythms dance, the healing potential of song, counselling or other therapies, they can all offer us a space to develop a deeper connection with our bodies, minds and spirits...if we're open to it. The challenge will always remain how we integrate what we learn into our everyday lives and how we remain connected to our instincts when life throws its challenges our way.
Learning has always been a vital part of my life, whether in a classroom setting as a teacher, a conference hall as a trainer, a yoga studio as a trainee or instructor, as a father to my children, or through every day contact with others. I look forward to sharing that journey with some likeminded people and perhaps playing a part in helping that journey to happen.
For more information about the instructor, qualifications, approach and experience, see ABOUT US
and YOGA CLASSES.
